THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 10-12-03; What They Were Thinking

Rachael Earl (right): ''It seems like 3-D archery started as practice for hunting. But now it's a sport. There are targets set up in the woods beforehand. You shoot for the kill zone -- near the heart. It doesn't seem weird to me to shoot a foam deer, but I guess it's weird. I would know what to do if I really did want to go hunt. But I don't. This is a lot easier. Shooting at 3-D targets, you concentrate, but it's still relaxing. There's not a whole bunch of cheering or shouting. We were in a group -- my dad, my boyfriend and my sister. You don't have to shoot with people in your age group. I got first place for mine. It was really exciting, but compared to what my younger sister can do, my score was low. I'm 16. I would like to do sports at school, but I don't have the time. You only need 15 minutes to practice archery. I spend most of my time doing homework. I don't want my grades to go down. I think if I commit myself to anything, they would.'' interview by Catherine Saint Louis